社會資訊網絡、司法調查與十八世紀國家治理問題──以乾隆十六年偽孫嘉淦奏稿案為例

When the State Encounters Social Networks in Information Dissemination in the Eighteenth Century: A Case Study of the Case of the Bogus Memorial (1751-1753)

偽孫嘉淦奏稿案反映出18世紀中期民間社會存在一個高效的資訊網絡。在調查該案的過程中，司法系統遭遇到難以克服的困難。社會資訊網絡呈網狀結構，訊息傳遞路線相互交錯、彼此纏繞，司法調查如同「入海算沙」，層層追究所找到的僅是一條條傳播路徑與傳播者，捏造正犯不見蹤影。偽稿案調查成為司法系統與民間社會之間的資訊戰。民眾透過私人關係網絡與邸報等官府文書，搜集案件調查訊息，並憑藉掌控訊息的優勢，捏造授受關係、更改得稿時間。這對於完全依賴口供進行調查和審訊的司法系統而言是致命的。真偽難辨的傳播線路，最終在承審官員面前變成一條「回環無端」的環形線路。施亦度、吳進義的冤案，正是承審官員面對環形傳播線路產生的反應。然而，司法調查遭遇困境並不意味著國家治理能力衰退。對比同時代的法國，應對資訊網絡類案件時，法國警方表現得更為嫻熟，但就調查結果而言，二者並無顯著差距。

The case of the bogus memorial reflects the existence of an efficient information network in mid-18th century. During the investigation of this case, the judicial bureaucratic system encountered insurmountable difficulties. The social information network exhibited a web-like structure, with information transmission routes overlapping and intertwining. Judicial investigations were akin to“counting grains of sand in the sea,”as the layers of pursuit uncovered only transmission routes and disseminators, while the authors of the forgery remained elusive. The investigation of the forged memorial turned into an information war between the judicial bureaucratic system and civil society. Through private relationship networks and official documents like Dibao邸報(imperial bulletin), the populace collected information about the investigation, leveraging their control over such information, fabricated relationships of document exchange and altered the timing of document receipt. For a judicial system entirely dependent on confessions for investigation, this proved fatal. The indistinguishable routes of dissemination ultimately formed a“circular, endless loop”in front of the presiding officials. The wrongful convictions of Shi Yidu施亦度and Wu Jinyi吳進義(1679-1762) were direct outcomes of the officials’reaction to these circular transmission routes. However, the difficulties faced in judicial investigations do not signify a decline in the state’s capacity for governance. In comparison with contemporary France, the French police appeared more adept in handling similar cases involving information networks. Nevertheless, in terms of investigation outcomes, there was no significant difference.